Learning to Use Your DSLR Camera: Lesson One
January 22, 2012This year we will provide some tips and things to remember when breaking out of auto mode and learning to start controlling your exposure. If you got a new DSLR for Christmas, or already have one but pretty much keep it on AUTO or PROGRAM mode, your New Year’s resolution ought to be to try to learn a little bit about using Manual exposure. (For simplicity here, everything that is discussed will reflect NO use of flash).
1. The first and foremost key to getting good photos goes beyond the functions of your camera. It’s learning to look at the light, and figure out what kind of light situation is going to yield a good picture. Have you taken photos in AUTO/PROGRAM mode that just don’t come out right? If you want to take a picture of your kid in your home midday with him or her in front of a bright window, more than likely your kid is going to be somewhat dark, and the window behind him or her will be super bright. Your camera does magical things but regardless of either Manual or Auto mode, it cannot expose for both situations….the dark kid and the super bright window. Here’s an example:
2. LOOK at the light and take note of what kind of light is on your subject and what kind of light is around them (ambient light). Most newer DSLR cameras will take decent pictures indoors without flash IF THERE IS SOME SUNLIGHT coming through the windows. Some of your homes may have some super bright indoor lighting, and you may be able to use the light from that, but be warned that indoor lighting can produce some strange color casts on your photo. You can turn your ISO up on your camera to help your camera take photos in places where there is not a lot of light, but the more you turn it up, the more grain there will be in the photo (not always bad).
3. After you have FOUND THE LIGHT (insert church bells here!), you will want to try using a manual setting. For a single subject, try placing your aperture at f4, and then from there adjust your shutter speed until you see the little tick mark on your meter move to the middle, or at zero. READ your camera’s user manual for the section on Metering. Be careful to not choose too slow of a shutter speed or your pictures could be blurry (especially with a moving subject.) A good shutter speed to shoot for would be 1/100 or faster. If you can’t make it fast enough, crank up your ISO more.
For example, my home has small windows and I live in the woods…..so anytime I take a photo of my son indoors without flash, I pretty much have to place him near the window with the outdoor light hitting his face. Here’s a straight-out-of-the-camera example, where I placed him near the sliding glass door with light from outside hitting him. I used f2.5 and 1/100, with my ISO on 800.
Stay tuned for more mini lessons coming soon!
Troy has gotten taller since we did some photos of him earlier this year! You can see those photos 
